The Big TV: Buy for the game, enjoy with DVDs

Wednesday

Jan 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMJan 30, 2008 at 2:56 PM

Among my friends, I’ve always been the token non-sports fan. But the arrival of my 46-inch Sony LCD TV changed all that.

Ed Symkus

Among my friends, I’ve always been the token non-sports fan. But the arrival of my 46-inch Sony LCD TV changed all that. (My wife said that 42 inches was big enough, but that’s like saying 56 channels is enough — it doesn’t make any sense.) Last summer, I got a crystal-clear view of the Red Sox chasing a baseball (and their second World Series in three years). And, yes, of course, when the Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday, I’ll be tuned in.

Larry Shulman, owner of Huntington TV in Newton, says that it’s sports that drives the sales of the larger TVs.

“It’s guys,” he says. “Guys like big TVs, to watch football on. The predominant sport is football.”

And though he notes that there’s a bit of a surge in sales each year as the Super Bowl broadcast approaches, “The real spike is at the end of the summer, just before training camp starts.

“But it’s not like it used to be,” he adds. “People used to come in and throw these things on their roof and go home with them. It’s not like that anymore. People are now buying them as an excuse. They know they need it, so they’re buying it.”

Unfortunately, for anyone considering doing the last-minute buy this year, it’s a little late to get the full installation treatment by kickoff.

As Shulman points out, “If they were just buying one, and having it dropped off, they could come in two days before the game. But if they wanted it installed and hanging on their wall, they should always plan on a week.”

Shulman suggests that to speed up the actual shopping process, and to figure out what size screen you’ll need, potential buyers should bring in two pieces of information: the viewing distance (how far away the couch will be from the screen) and the general room layout (where the windows are located).

“The size of the room is meaningless,” he says.

But the quality of the sound coming from the television is crucial.

“You always need surround sound,” says Shulman. “TV speakers have a very ordinary thin sound; they’re very undramatic. But you don’t get surround sound necessarily for sound coming from behind you. You buy it for a more all-round dynamic result.”

Shulman has been in the business for a long time, and he doesn’t let trends get in the way of his opinions. He mentions that statistics show that LCD screens are very popular in the Northeast, but that in other areas of the country, plasma screens far outsell LCDs.

“LCD is a great product,” he says. “But if you’re a little more critical, and you are a videophile, and if you are watching a tremendous amount of sports, plasma is the superior product.”

The truth is, I’m still not a big sports watcher, but I am something of a videophile. And my LCD screen and DVD player have made me very happy to stay home and watch movies that, at least in my living room, are now bigger and better and brighter and crisper than ever.

Huntington TV is at 991 Boylston St. (Rte. 9), Newton. There’s still plenty of time to buy a big screen TV for the Super Bowl, especially if you’re going to throw it on your roof.